Rabbi Chaim Galfand is a former lawyer and is currently the Rabbi of Perelman Jewish Day school which has two campuses: one in Wynnewood, PA and the other in Melrose Park, PA. He was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA where he attended various Jewish day schools including Perelman. Rabbi Galfand trained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem, and the University of Judaism in Los Angeles, he has experienced and helped shape various models of what a Jewish spiritual community can and should look like. He has been a guest cantor at Temple Beth El in Lancaster, PA. Rabbi Galfand is passionate about guiding students to discover their place in the universe.

 Gems:

• Focus on the link between individual Jew and their own tradition.
• Build from the bottom up.
• Practice patience and kindness.
• Share stories.
• Engage learners less in the head and more in the heart.
• Be mindful how we talk about G-d.
• Encourage students to ask questions.
• Build upon children’s sense of wonder.
• The home is significant in children’s learning.
• Include the family in learning.
• Empower students to have conversations with their parents.
• We are beginning the journey of learning.
• Guide students to discover their place in the universe.
• Share our values of Torah with the world.
• Do not forget who you are as a person.
• Teach what you do not have to unteach later.

Find him on twitter: https://twitter.com/pjdsrabbi?lang=en

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Professor Aaron Hahn-Tapper, originally from Philadelphia, PA, now calls Northern California his home. He has been a professor at the University of San Francisco in Jewish studies for 14 years. He is the director of the Swig Program in Jewish Studies and Social Justice.  Professor  Hahn-Tapper is also the Executive Director of the Center for Transformative Education which was founded to create empowering educational programs to transform societies into their potential. 

Gems:

Create learning opportunities from events that occur in the class.

Be open to dialogue with your students.

Continue to learn from others.

Surround yourself with others who can motivate you.

Be open to new ideas.

Univeristy of San Francisco- https://www.usfca.edu/faculty/aaron-hahn-tapper

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Rabbi Erez Sherman is currently a rabbi at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, CA. He is originally from NY and is the brother of Rabbi Nogah Marshall- (listen to her episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1257653/8092562).  He is also a graduate of Albert A. List College and Columbia University (with degrees in Music and Talmud), where he wrote his thesis, “Music in the Synagogue in the 21st Century. Rabbi Sherman is passionate about Judaism and working with the special needs community. In fact, he created KEEN (Kids Enjoying Exercise Now) Basketball Clinic for special needs children and the Sinai Temple Basketball Camp.  

Gems:

• You always end up in the same place but take a different route to get there.
• Bring Judaism to life in the classroom.
• Connect your students with the long chain of traditions.
• G-d is our coach.
• Encourage children to talk about the various characteristics of G-d.
• Enhance connections with new traditions.
• No memorization only education.
• Rededicate yourself and your students to knowledge everyday.
• Learn from your students.
• Disruption is a time for disruption.
• Relationships build community.
• Find ways to include families with special needs.
• Focus on our mission as a community.
• Be open to the new without giving up on the values you teach (New innovation-same foundation).
• Make Judaism all-encompassing and experiential.

You can reach Rabbi Sherman below:
https://www.facebook.com/erez.shermansts
https://www.keenlosangeles.org/rabbi-erez-sherman
https://twitter.com/rabbiesherman?lang=en

Listen to his podcast: Rabbi On the Sidelines on all of the major podcast sites.

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Dina Eliezer was born in Turkey and raised in Israel. After getting married, she and her husband lived in France for a few years where she started a school. After a few years, she and her family moved here to the U.S. We worked together at Temple Beth Sholom in Cherry Hill, NJ when she was the Education Director. She is passionate about Jewish education and building traditions. Dina spent a few years traveling with her husband before returning to the classroom. She currently teaches at Philadelphia Hebrew Charter School.

 Gems:

• Share Your Passion.
• Be flexible, you never know where you will go to teach.
• Write the Hebrew correctly.
• Remember to teach in a way that your students will understand.
• Share love of the Hebrew language because it is a central pillar of education.
• Transmit values.
• Be a model to your students.
• Believe in what you are teaching.
• Figure out what your students can relate to.
• The foundation is built at home.
• Help families create traditions and build on that.
• Always listen and pay attention.
• Really reflect on why you decided to teach.
• We are defenders of Israel in the classroom.
• Immerse yourself in the language through songs and activities.

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In this episode we interview Rabbi Jeff  Wohlgelernter. He is the Rabbi Emeritus and founder of Congregation Adat Yeshurun in La Jolla, California. He and his son Ahron are avid podcasters themselves. Be sure to check out "Think Torah" and "Around the Shabbos Table" on the Intentional Jew Podcast Network (IJP) for some excellent content and thoughtful pedagogical tools and ideas which can be used at your own Shabbos Table and beyond. Rabbi Jeff lives in Israel and is an extraordinary, seasoned, and gifted Jewish Educator. Rabbi Jeff has a passion for learning, hospitality, and creativity, and loves to interact with Jews of different backgrounds inspiring them to grow and develop their Jewish identity in a positive and healthy way - emotionally, spiritually.


Website: https://www.intentionaljew.com/shows/think-torah/

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Rabbi Nogah Marshall is the Education Director at Congregation Beth El in Voorhees, NJ. Born into a Rabbinic family, her father, brother, and sister-in-law who are also Rabbis. The education bug bit her from an early age and she knew she wanted to make a difference in the lives of Jewish children. Rabbi Marshall loves to create programs and believes in learning through doing.

Gems:

• Parents are our first models.
• Incorporate experiences through doing.
• Ask questions.
• Share your love and passion for Judaism.
• Connect with your students.
• Be adaptable.
• You are making a difference in your students’ lives.
• Include meaningful experiences with your students and families.
• Your colleagues are part of your team; use them as resources.
• Education never ends.

JedLab Jobs- https://www.facebook.com/groups/jdsmedialab/

Jewish Educators Assembly- https://www.jewisheducators.org/

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Mrs. Wendy Marder is one of my former Hebrew school teachers.  As a child, she pretended she was a teacher with her brothers. Initially, Mrs. Marder was a public-school teacher, later, she became a Jewish educator after studying at Touro College in NY. Mrs. Marder was very involved in NCSY in high school. She taught Hebrew school throughout high school. Her first teaching job after she graduated was at West Chester Day School in Long Island, NY.  After marrying her husband, Ami, she moved to New Jersey and has lived there ever since. She has been the Education Director at B’nai Tikvah-Beth Israel in Sewell, NJ for 21 years. Mrs. Marder loves to learn, teach, and plan Mitzvah programs, hands-on activities, and experiential learning. 

Gems:

• Mentor with other educators.
• As educators, we are students also.
• G-d is everywhere, but you are not going to find G-d if you don’t look.
• G-d does not always show loving signs.
• We are partners with G-d to help make the world better.
• Debates encourage older students to participate.
• Learn from everyone and be open-minded.
• Create engaging activities that use as many senses as possible.
• Continue learning.
• Connect instead of correct.
• Judaism is personal.
• Prioritize Jewish education.
• Constantly engage with your students, resources, and learning.
• Community is important!
• Find the spark!
• Help your students feel important.
• Involve Bar/Bat Mitzvah students to help in the classroom as assistants.

Inspiration: http://www.debbiefriedman.com/

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 Janet Luterman is a colleague and esteemed educator. She began teaching in 1981 at Beth El in Margate, NJ. She has taught in several schools in the Philadelphia, PA area. We both taught at Beth Zion-Beth Israel in Philadelphia, PA several years ago. Currently, Janet lives in Israel on a Kibbutz in the north, near the Kinneret. She teaches English to Israeli children. Janet is inspired by her students and approaches education with an outside of the box and creative way. Special shout-out to Cindy Citron. You can listen to her episode here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1257653/6714724

Gems:

• We talk to G-d through song.
• Help your students find their own way.
• Be open to learning from your students.
• Students learn from discussions rather than from a teacher-centered approach.
• Inspire your students to ask questions.
• Allow the students to have autonomy in their education, while you are the guide.
• Share poems and songs in Hebrew.
• Always learn and incorporate new things into the classroom.
• Talk about the Torah by asking questions, for example: what lessons can we learn?

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Lillian is a long-time educator born and raised in Harrisburg, PA. She taught French and Spanish at the Yeshiva of Flatbush in Brooklyn, NY. After she and her family moved back to Harrisburg, PA, she began to teach at Temple Ohev Shalom and Chisuk Emuna, then went on to become the Religious school director of Ohev Shalom for over twenty years. Lillian is also extremely passionate about Holocaust education, as a child of survivors, she organizes the Reading of the Names every year around the anniversary of the Holocaust.

 Gems:

• Fill a void by making a difference in the community.
• Share your vision with your students.
• Nurture and cherish every child.
• Help your students develop a connection with Klal Yisrael.
• Judaism is a way of life and it is our duty to help our students feel that way.
• Incorporate Judaism into every aspect of your day.
• Your students can give you strength.
• Teachers make or break your school.
• Find teachers that children can relate to and that you can learn from.
• Jewish education needs to be joyful, meaningful, and relevant.

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Rabbi Ami Monson is a dear colleague and long-time educator who grew up in Philadelphia, PA, though now lives in Albany, NY. We taught together at Beth Zion-Beth Israel in Philadelphia, PA. We also were youth advisors for United Synagogue Youth. He comes from a family of Jewish educators. His father was the Hillel Rabbi of the University of Pennsylvania and his mother was a Jewish sociology professor and later Dean of Gratz College in Melrose Park, PA. Ami was the Program Director for Maccabi USA Sports for Israel for 11 and a half years. He recently received his semicha from Rabbinical school at the Academy for Jewish Religion.  

Gems:

• It is not about the paycheck.
• We can be G-d-like through our actions. 
• Put into action what you are learning.
• Continue to study Torah and never stop helping others.
• Education entails learning via the books, with others, and through putting what you learn into action.
• We are always students.
• Use the resources available to your advantage.
• Share your passion with your students.
• Believe in your students!
• Find a mentor! 
• Connect with your students on their level.
• The more engaging you are, the more attractive you will be to your students.

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